This eBook was produced by Joel Erickson, Charles Franks, Juliet Sutherland THE POORHOUSE WAIF and HIS DIVINE TEACHER A True Story BY ISABEL C. BYRUM CONTENTS Preface I The Deserted Child II Life in the Almshouse III From Bad to Worse IV Finding Friends V Suffering for the Faults of Others VI The Strange Visitor VII Mysteries Unfolding VIII Discovers the Existence of God IX In the Home of a Witch X A Contrast XI Searching for Light XII A Revelation on Eternity XIII Puzzled about Prayer XIV A Prayer-Meeting XV A Star of Hope XVI A Revelation on Tobacco XVII The Camp-Meeting XVIII Discovers the Existence of God's Word XIX Devotion and Works XX Called to Service XXI Discovers God's Church XXII Visits the Poorhouse CHAPTER I THE DESERTED CHILD In this wide world the fondest and the best Are the most tried, most troubled, and distressed. --Crabbe. "Why, woman, you are not thinking of leaving that child in this place for us to look after, I hope! Our hands are more than full already. You say that the child is scarcely a month old. How do you suppose that we could give it a mother's care? More than this, the board that governs the affairs of this institution has given us orders to accept no children under seven months of age whose mothers are not with them. So if we should take the child, as you say we must, you would be obliged to remain for that length of time, at least, to help us care for it." It was August Engler, steward of the county poorhouse in one of the eastern counties of Pennsylvania during the sixties, that spoke these words, and the circumstance that called forth the language was the appearance and request of Mrs. Fischer, a well-dressed young widow. The latter had come to the poorhouse with the intention of leaving her infant child. To this plan Mr. Engler had objected unless she was willing to comply with the rules of the place. Mrs. Fischer, the mother of three little children, had recently heard that her husband, a soldier in the Civil War, had been killed in battle, and immediately she had gone into deep mourning as far as her dress was concerned. The care of her family, however, she felt was too great a responsibility to assume alone, and she had decided that the best thing for her to do was to give her three small children away and that the sooner it was done the better it would be. It was not hard to find homes for the girl and the boy, but with baby Edwin it was different He was so young that nobody cared to be bothered with him, and although she had tried hard, she had not succeeded in finding him a home. In her perplexity she rushed to the infirmary. So confident had she been that it would be the duty of this institution to help her out that she had not thought of asking the privilege of leaving her baby as a favor.